Bats at the Beach

The beach is a great place to spend time. There is the ocean, the sand, the surf, and most importantly, the sunshine. However, in Bats at the Beach, author and illustrator Brian Lies weaves a story about bats at the beach. The charming story written in rhyme takes the bats from dusk when they awake through the night spent in the moonshine. The bats take buckets, trowels, banjoes, blankets, books and towels for their excursion and set up to enjoy their time. What do bats do at the beach? Play with things others leave behind, bury friends in the sand and make new friends. They also find time to become kites and surf and sail in the ocean. After time for play, it is time for snacks. With edible treats like damselflies and “salted ‘skeeters”, the bats eat and then have songs around the campfire before packing up to return home.

The rhymes make this a great story for kids of any age. But it is the artwork that will keep you coming back. Bats are shown in traditional beach poses—playing volleyball, flying kites and “roasting ‘bug-mallows’ on slender sticks”. While dark colors in picture books usually make readers think of frightening scenes and creatures, Lies illustrations are both clever and funny, making readers laugh and wish they could be there for the next time the bats visit the beach.

I would recommend this book for students in kindergarten through second grade.

Keywords associated with this book: bats, beach, moon, picnic, and rhyming